


The Living and the Dead

by Skyson



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Dancing, F/M, First Kiss, Future Fic, Ghosts, Post-Season/Series 07, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21873850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: Willow, Giles, and Buffy are investigating an abandoned mansion that is well known for its mysterious disturbances.
Relationships: Rupert Giles/Buffy Summers
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	The Living and the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Title is an homage to "Beetlejuice"; at the end of the movie the Deetz family is living comfortably with ghostly Adam and Barbara, and Dad-Deetz is seen reading a book of the same title - a manual on how the living and the dead can co-exist together comfortably.
> 
> Just a little thing I threw out in like an hour. Any mistakes within are absolutely all on me.

* * *

  
"Oh, come on!" Buffy complained when they found themselves once again within the large wine cellar. "What is with this house?!"  
  


"Something wants us in this room," Giles mused, taking a closer look at the shelves and racks of wine bottles that circled the room.  
  


The center of the space was expansive, with a large wooden table in the center, which held various different glasses for tastings. It was a fancy house, like old-school fancy, and Buffy could imagine a lot of high-brow shin-digs being held here. But no one had lived in the place for ages; it was totally abandoned and considered heavily haunted. Even looters wouldn't come near it; which meant stepping inside was almost like stepping right into the past.  
  


"Giles- " Buffy suddenly realized, as she began to hear soft music playing in the distance, as if in an adjacent room.  
  


"There must be something in here we've overlooked during our last pass-throughs," Giles mused, reaching out for her hand even as he continued looking around. "Perhaps a secret door, behind one of these shelves, or beneath a rug,"  
  


"Willow!" Buffy called out loudly while she was sure that she could, taking Giles' hand and slowly walking with him to the center of the open space, anxiously watching the stairs for Willow's arrival as Giles frowned at the nearest chandelier.  
  


"I didn't think the power worked anymore," He said in confusion, and at first glance the ornate light fixture was just as dusty and dark as before - and then at second glance it wasn't. Buffy blinked at the bright and gleaming metal, as if it'd just been polished, the bulbs not as bright as modern ones but definitely turned on.  
  


"It doesn't," Buffy recognized what was happening, as she'd been in this position before. Giles turned to face Buffy, still holding her hand.  
  


"Is there a spell at work, here?" He wondered, not sounding all that concerned about it, as he slipped his other hand around the small of Buffy's back. She gasped softly at the warmth of his palm, and the strength of his sure grip.  
  


"Not a spell, I don't think." Buffy answered him, placing her free hand atop his shoulder. "Ghosts, Giles."  
  


"Oh, dear." His voice sounded discomforted, now, but his gaze was curious and pondering as he looked at her.  
  


"Did you guys find anything?" Willow asked as she hurried down the stairs from the main floor. She paused at the bottom, and tilted her head at them. "Are you guys dancing?"  
  


"Not yet," Buffy replied, "the music isn't ready."  
  


"What music? We're supposed to be searching for beasties or spookies or other mysteries!" Willow lightly complained. "This place is creepy! This is no time for dancing!"  
  


"I believe we've found your, ehm, spookies, Willow." Giles replied dryly.  
  


The music seemed to swell gently louder in Buffy's ears, and though it was a classical song she recognized but did not know well, her feet began to move as if she'd been dancing to it for decades. Giles led their steps smoothly, and they turned across the dusty carpet with a grace that startled her.  
  


"I didn't know you knew how to waltz, Buffy," Willow admired appreciatively.  
  


"I don't," Buffy replied, distantly worried, but she was too caught up in the warm green of Giles' eyes.  
  


"Oh!" Willow suddenly realized. A moment later, Buffy could feel the gentle sweep of Willow's magic across the room. "Well... they don't seem, um, malevolent." She explained slowly as she 'read' the room.  
  


"No," Buffy agreed, "this is different."  
  


"I don't feel possessed," Giles murmured, gripping her palm firmly.  
  


"You know how to waltz?" Buffy wondered, and he looked briefly embarrassed.  
  


"Not this well." He admitted. They didn't stop dancing, however, and they didn't look away from one another either.  
  


"Oh..." Willow's tone was soft. "They just wanted to dance together, again." Whatever Willow was seeing, Buffy could hear the emotion in her voice. "Her dress, it's so gorgeous!" She swooned. "And he's wearing... maybe something military? It rather suits you, Giles. Very handsome."  
  


"I want to see," Buffy pouted without thinking. She could hear the music and the room around them was bright and fresh and new, but Giles was still Giles, and she was still Buffy.  
  


"I don't think..." Willow looked at them curiously, and then smiled. "That isn't their intention."  
  


"What _is_ their intention?" Giles pressed, even as he began to turn them with a little more lively energy. "I would rather not be stuck in the middle of another murder-suicide,"  
  


"No, no," Willow assured them quickly, "this isn't like that at all. They... I think they grew old together. They're just a part of this place now. They aren't evil at all; they're in love." Willow swooned again, hard-core this time. "After all this time, they're still in love."  
  


Buffy found herself smiling softly at Giles.  
  


"Yes," She agreed, "they are, aren't they,"  
  


The adoration in his expression was quiet, but profound. The air around them was thick, and warm, but it wasn't greedy. It was content, and certain, and enduring.  
  


The music and the dance eventually came to a natural end, and as it faded away along with the warm shining colors of the room, Buffy stepped closer to Giles. He pulled his hand from hers only to curl a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, then cup her cheek in his palm. She put her now free hand on his chest, and smiled at him again.  
  


They hadn't once looked away from one another since the music first started, and she only closed her eyes now because he was too close to look at, and his nose was touching her cheek, and he was kissing her.  
  


It was both familiar and entirely new, but it wasn't hesitant. He was kissing her because he wanted to kiss her, and she kissed him back because she wanted it too. His mouth was slow and sensuous, though he didn't linger for too long, before pulling back enough so that he could look at her. He brushed his fingers through her hair again.  
  


_'I love you,'_ his eyes said, and she knew that hers were probably sparkling with delight.  
  


"Um... uh, guys? I think... I think we should go, now." Willow piped up hesitantly, but Buffy didn't immediately withdraw from Giles' grasp.  
  


Seeing no regret or discomfort in him, she let her hand slide down his arm off of his shoulder, loathe to leave this space that still felt warm and safe and quietly joyful. They stepped apart from one another, but that feeling didn't leave, and Buffy smiled at him one more time before turning to Willow.  
  


"As far as ghost possessions go, that wasn't so bad." She quipped. "Guess some people just don't like the ride."  
  


"But you liked the ride?" Willow raised her eyebrow at Buffy, who glanced toward Giles as he furiously cleaned his lenses and followed the ladies up the steps out of the cellar.  
  


"It wasn't so bad." Buffy replied, her tone a little more warm this time.  
  


"Look, I uh... I won't tell anybody poltergeists made you guys smooch, okay?" Willow chuckled a little, as if it were unbelievable although she'd witnessed the whole thing. "Though honestly, it was a very touching moment. I think we should keep the signs up, tell people this place should be preserved for historical reasons or something. Let those two keep living here as long as they'd like."  
  


"Or find some new tenants that wouldn't mind a little ghosty roommates," Buffy reasoned. "Thanks, Will."  
  


"Sure, sure."  
  


When they all piled into Giles' car, Buffy sitting shotgun and Willow in the back, Giles hesitated before turning the key in the ignition. He stared at the stately house in front of them for a quiet minute, until Buffy placed her hand on his knee.  
  


"Profound." He murmured in amazement, and turned to meet Buffy's gaze.  
  


_Enduring.  
  
_

She squeezed his leg and returned her hand to her own side before Willow started questioning things. Buffy knew that Giles knew the same thing she did: it hadn't been the poltergeists doing the kissing.  
  


_"You're welcome."_ Buffy heard a female voice smirk coyly, and she darted her gaze out the front window in surprise. Clear as day, the couple Willow had sort-of described were standing together on the front steps, casually hand-in-hand. Buffy laughed softly, in amusement, and in gratitude, and gave them a little nod.  
  


"What is it?" Giles wondered, looking front again. "Are they there?" He couldn't see them, and Buffy wondered if perhaps she was just imagining it. Better safe than sorry, she figured.  
  


"I think they might've had a pretty sneaky intention, after all," Buffy figured under her breath, quietly enough that Willow wouldn't hear her clearly, but Giles did.  
  


"Hmm." He hummed in agreement, and then started the car.  
  


They were halfway back to London when Willow started giggling in the backseat.  
  


"I can't believe you guys smoochied!"  
  


Buffy quirked a half-grin and glanced sideways toward Giles, who was studiously watching the road with a calm expression, save for the tiny upturn of his lips. She could barely believe it either, but, she planned on getting some more practice in. Soon.  
  


And maybe take up dancing lessons, too.

* * *


End file.
